Tate Modern is a very large building right next to Shakespeare’s Globe. Tate Modern has art dating back from Picasso to modern students who place their art on display. There are four floors of exhibits and some are not appropriate for children. They have signs that post a warning for parents before you enter also they have an employee sitting there if you want to ask them a question. There are two shops one on the first and second floors. These exhibits never allow you to become bored they keep your attention the whole time because every painting, sculpture, video, or music was unique in its own way.

I do not have a particular art piece that I preferred over another but one did amaze me. This piece of art was a table and chairs only they were built so large that it seemed as if you were as small as a mouse. Another was bars of soap that had been strung together by a steel cable then attached to the ceiling hanging around two feet off the floor. They had silent films that had been made by students some were not suitable for young children but others were.

They had a regular film playing that showed a person with a speech impediment who received this problem after suffering amnesia. It was very fascinating and sad to see how the man had a hard time finding words to say or saying something he did not wish to say. For example they gave him a card and asked him to identify what was wrong in the picture. Well in the picture the man was holding the telephone upside down. But, the man with the speech impediment kept saying it was a women and then asked if that was a women would shake his head no. He meant to say man but he could not think of the word man.

The Tate Modern was quite an experience. So I suggest you at least spend a few hours looking around. I will let you know what I do tomorrow keep checking in.

Tate Modern

Today I went to Tate Modern. Tate Modern is a very large building right next to Shakespeare’s Globe. Tate Modern has art dating back from Picasso to modern students who place their art on display. There are four floors of exhibits and some are not appropriate for children. They have signs that post a warning for parents before you enter also they have an employee sitting there if you want to ask them a question. There are two shops one on the first and second floors. These exhibits never allow you to become bored they keep your attention the whole time because every painting, sculpture, video, or music was unique in its own way.

I do not have a particular art piece that I preferred over another but one did amaze me. This piece of art was a table and chairs only they were built so large that it seemed as if you were as small as a mouse. Another was bars of soap that had been strung together by a steel cable then attached to the ceiling hanging around two feet off the floor. They had silent films that had been made by students some were not suitable for young children but others were.

They had a regular film playing that showed a person with a speech impediment who received this problem after suffering amnesia. It was very fascinating and sad to see how the man had a hard time finding words to say or saying something he did not wish to say. For example they gave him a card and asked him to identify what was wrong in the picture. Well in the picture the man was holding the telephone upside down. But, the man with the speech impediment kept saying it was a women and then asked if that was a women would shake his head no. He meant to say man but he could not think of the word man.

The Tate Modern was quite an experience. So I suggest you at least spend a few hours looking around. I will let you know what I do tomorrow keep checking in.

Sciece Museum

The Science Museum is definitely a fun place for kids and adults. There around seven floors ranging from outer space, modern devises, to medical practices in the olden days and how they are used now. There are inventions such as airplanes, space ships, an old MRI machine, to the first dentist chair. There is one room that is hands-on and fun for all ages. The I-Max is on the bottom floor and plays around six different shows. There are two virtual rides one is as if you were taking off from earth, landing on the moon, then returning. The second one is a roller coaster in space which was more fun I think. The museum is filled with interactive things which makes the experience more enjoyable for young children and still interesting enough so that the parents enjoy themselves also.

The second floor has model ships of famous voyages. Then they show a picture of what the original ships used to look like. Against the wall they show different boats from around the world and what they would have looked like and how they look today. Also the second floor shows scuba gear that was used a long time ago and what we use today. This is a great way to see the changes over time and how our inventions have been modified.

The third floor is full of model airplanes. One was from 1912 and they have others from further back then that. They also show the cut out of a plane we would fly on today, this one was a British Airways two level plane.

The last floor I am going to explain is the fourth floor which is all hands-on. They have three rooms full of gadgets for kids and adults to enjoy. There are a range of things from balancing blocks at an angle, which is more for the adults, to a simple rope that you can pull which shoots a ball up into the air and then down into a net where the ball goes back to be shot again, this is more for the children.

I can not explain all the rooms or this post would be very long. So if you want to find out more I suggest you go see all the museums wonderful things.

BB-King

Tonight was the BB-King concert at Wembley Arena. BB-King is now at the age of 83 and does not seem to miss a beat. There was an opening by John Mayall and his band. They were really good and talented. The lead singer John Mayall could play the harmonica, piano, scat, and sing. There songs were good too and over all a great opening to the concert.

BB-King blues band started with a couple songs that introduced the band. Then BB-King came out and the crowd stood and applauded him. He then was seated in the middle of the stage as the crowd sat the first song started. He played about two songs then told a few stories of his past or funny things that he found interesting. He was very funny and kind hearted and his music was amazing. BB-King's voice was just as good as it was when he was younger. His guitar playing was amazing also for his age. Even though I was not around when he first started his music I found the songs entertaining and very fun to keep beat to. Tonight was a very good night.

Music Festival

Yesterday was the music festival in Hyde Park. I touched on this a little in my last blog but, I had some more that I wanted to say. The music festivals here are a huge deal, everyone in the city seems attend. Also if you are in need of one more ticket there are people always trying to sell some. Be careful not to buy tickets for to much at least buy them for face value or you can try to haggle for less.

The Killers were the band we went to see yesterday. We actually needed one more ticket so we bought one from a lady who had a friend who couldn't come. If you do not want to buy tickets though you can sit in the park and listen to the band out there without going in because you can hear the music just fine. After getting the ticket we stood in line for not to long. After going inside there is food and drinks to buy so you don't have to bring to much with you. When the concert starts it surprised me that no one really moves after they feel they have a good spot to stand. It made the concert much more enjoyed because I could focus on the music and having a good time instead of dealing with people wanting to get through. There are so many music festivals here all through the summer playing some where. So definitely go see one when you come.

Natural History Museum

Today was another great day of exploring London. I visited the Natural History Museum and it took up my entire day. The floors are all color coated so it was very easy to figure out where I had not been yet. There were four sections the red, blue, green and orange floors. The red was the beginning of time with the volcanoes and other natural elements. The blue section is the mammal section. Green are the dinosaurs and one of the best parts of the museum. Finally orange was Darwin's theory.

My favorite exhibit was the dinosaurs. They were everywhere, hanging from the ceiling and on the floor. The exhibit was very informative and life like. Another one of my favorite exhibits was the interactive room which had really interesting games you could play and learn at the same time. If you are planning on traveling with children I would suggest going to the Natural History Museum. All of the exhibits are very simple for a child to understand and if you are looking for more the museum has a butterfly garden where children can play after they leave the museum.

Tonight I went to the Killers concert in Hyde Park which was very enjoyable. There were so many people and everyone was just having a good time. London is the city where you can never be bored and the amount of shows that are here is crazy. When visiting try to see as many shows as possible because you may never have a chance to do it again.

Shakespeare's Globe

The Shakespeare's Globe is right along the water near the London Bridge. This building is a replica of the original Shakespeare's Globe as it would have been if it hadn't burned down in 1613. It is a circle that rises three floors with an open roof except for part of the stage which is covered. Standing tickets can be purchased cheaply at 5 GBPs but, tickets are more expensive to sit down but they are also under a thatched roof. There are pillars on the stage and pillars surrounding the inside of the building. Everything is as it would have been back then which makes the experience even better.

I went to the play As You Like It and I loved it. The show was amazing entertainment for my evening. I payed for a standing ticket and I thought that at the end of three hours my feet and legs would be dead, but supprisingly I was so entertained that I was not even sore afterwards. The actors and actresses were very good at there roles and the play was very well put together. I really enjoyed my time at this play. If coming to visit and want to see a really great show then I suggest that you stop by Shakespeare's Globe. You won't regret it.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace was the main attraction at noon today. There were crowds of people everywhere and policemen on horses and on foot. The Changing of the Guard happens everyday at noon.

The street was partly blocked off which allowed the horses, Royal band, bagpipes and the Royal carriages to get through. All of these things draw a lot of attention from the crowd. Police are set around so they can keep a handle on the situation. Hundreds of people are squeezed together so that they can get the best view of the festivities. After the band has marched into the palace they play show tunes from famous musicals like Wicked, The Producers and more. This continues for about twenty minutes. The guards that have been changed out march in perfect unison into the street. Then after another twenty minutes or so the others take their leave as well.

The palace is a beautiful building. It is one of the biggest places I have ever seen in my entire life. Not only that but it is surrounded by luscious green parks. The monument in front of the palace is a remarkable piece of art. It has water around it except for one side where there are three flights of stairs leading to the statue of Queen Victoria.

It is a great place for tourist. If you want a relaxing day to lay in the parks but also want to see a spectacular site than definitely visit Buckingham Palace.

The Tower of London

Tower of London


If you are looking for a castle out of a fairy tale with a moat and all, then that is the Tower of London. It is exactly what you would imagine a castle might look like. The only difference is the Tower of London is so old that the city of London had to build itself around it.

After I bought a ticket which was 14.50 GBPs (Great British Pounds) for me because I am a student, I waited in a line for maybe two minutes to enter. I walked through two stone towers which have the Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom displayed above the entrance. This then leads to a small bridge that is over land not water, with a large courtyard to the left. There are multiple paths to take and signs are posted everywhere so you can easily find your way around, that way you don't go in circles.

One of the main attractions is the Crown Jewels. The Jewels have been kept there for hundreds of years. Most of the Jewels that are there are for the coronations and they also include the three largest diamonds in the world. Across from where the jewels are kept there is the White Tower.

White Tower was the original fortress, built in 1078 by William the Conqueror, before the other buildings were constructed around it. The first floor held many weapons and types of armor which were used in battle. The second floor also had weapons and armor, but for sports such as jousting. The tower has a hands-on room where you can lift the old weapons, play against someone in a sword game to see who is faster and you can calculate how well you would do at shooting arrows.

Another tower is where kings used to keep prisoners. Inside, three ways that they used to torture prisoners are on display. One includes stretching the prisoners' bodies till they broke at the joints. The second method of torture was to fold a man up into a ball with his knees touching his chest and then placing him in a contraption that would crush him just enough so he could fit and still be alive. The last one was to hang prisoners up by their wrists using iron bars and iron pins to secure them and this would be done several feet off the floor. This normally caused the prisoners to not be able to use their arms for a certain amount of days.

There are live ravens on the grounds but they are trained to not leave a certain area of the castle. There is a legend dating back centuries that states that if the ravens leave the grounds then the White Tower, the monarchy, and the kingdom will crumble. They give a real life feel to the castle and add sounds you might have heard back then

I really enjoyed my day at the tower and I encourage all to go see it if you are visiting.

The Queen's Walk

On Sunday I spent my time on the beautiful Queen's Walk. The Queen's Walk starts at Big Ben and ends at London Bridge, following the south bank of the river Thames (te-ehms). Along the way there are street performers that are very entertaining to watch but, make sure you do not take pictures unless you want to pay them for their performance. Some of the performers were people dressed up and fully painted who stand still like statues. Others were dancing and there were also a few mimes. One of the strange attractions was a man with his head in a dog crate who used puppet hands to make bells chime and then would howl at them in an attept to make music. It was really different for me because that is definitely something I am not used to experiencing.

As I was strolling along, I saw people who were wrapping the trees up with red and white polka-dots as an art exhibit. It was quite an experience. This was a nice way to spend a day very relaxed and still able to see the gorgeous London.

Tomorrow will be another day for site seeing. Keep checking in to see what is new and send me a post.

Green Park

Green Park

Green Park is surrounded by towering trees which block the wind and the noise from the city. People sprawled across the grounds, groups relaxing with their friends, happy couples enjoying the peace, and even one guy sleeping. The green and white striped beach chairs enticed me to sit in one of them, but just a warning, I found out the hard way that you have to pay for them!

This park is right next to Buckingham Palace. I did not go and see the Palace though because I decided to save that for another day when I had more time. The park is in a great area, if you want to walk around you can easily walk to the Buckingham Palace and the large statue out front. Today was overcast with gusts of wind every now-an-then, but I decided to kick back in the grass and relax for an hour or so before I got too cold and had to leave. I am sure I will go back to see Green Park again though when I see Buckingham Palace.

Keep checking in for more updates!

Day at The Bristish Museum

British Museum

The British Museum was definitely one of my favorite places by far. The large stone building has a square garden and courtyard out front, which is actually the largest enclosed courtyard in Europe.

I had to spend an entire day in the museum to see everything. There are many artifacts from all different continents and time periods. Some of the rooms include Europe, China, Japan, Africa, and more. My favorite exhibition was in the Egyptian rooms. This section had to be split up between two floors because of its large size. The bottom floor was incredible and showed stone figures and statues from Egypt.

The top floor was shocking though. It was filled with sarcophaguses, mummies, and actual bodies they had found. This one body was displayed as it would have been found in the desert and another had been unwrapped from its cloth. One wall was completely lined with sarcophaguses that were opened and closed this way you could see the inside of one. Also they had animals in their sarcophaguses like baboons, falcons, and cats.

One of the most popular exhibits besides the sarcophaguses is the Rosetta Stone which is an ancient Egyptian Artifact - according to wikipedia, it greatly advanced our understanding of hieroglyphic writing. The Rosetta Stone is one passage that is translated into three languages, two are Egyptian (hieroglyphic and Demotic) and the other is classic Greek. Groups of people were always surronding the stone, trying to take pictures of it and get as close to the glass as possible.

The British Museum is an eye-opening experience with a unique range of historical artifacts. I could really see how we have evolved culturally, but it was really stunning to learn how sophisticated many civilizations were without modern technology. If you are planning on visiting make sure you give it an entire day to see everything.

Today was one of my favorite days I am so glad I got visit and spend my day there.

Today was an awesome day it was sunny and warm. I visited my favorite place yet the Hunterian Museum of Surgery in the Royal College of Surgeons and Sir John Soane's Museum. The Hunterian Museum though is not the place for the squeamish.

The frist place I went was Sir Johns Soane's Museum. It was one house that the contracter Sir John Soane had bought and then decided he was going to buy the houses on either side of the house also. Then Sir John Soane decided to reconstruct it completely. The house is many stories high and has one spiral staircase that goes from the bottom floor to the ceiling. There are a lot of statues hung on the walls and gorgeous paintings too. In the end though Sir John Soane died in an insane asylum so I guess he was kind of crazy.

Next I went to my favorite place so far the Hunterian Museum of Surgery. If you like science, bones, and studying organs of animals and humans you will like this place. A couple of examples are they have a giant, now I am 5'7" and I came up to his pelvis bone, and he was roughly supposed to be 7'7". Also the coolest thing I thought that was there was a six week old fetus that was roughly an inch. The coolest thing is that you could see the nose, eye socket, legs with little attached feet now the arm was a little knub, but the best part was you could see the ribs and count them one by one. I think this is a very cool thing to go to if you like what I have stated before.

Well I will let you know what I am doing tomorrow. Keep checking in and come and send me a post.

Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and Kensington Palace

I am glad to report that the tube system does get easier. Today was a very cold and windy day. The sky was overcast and the sun finally peaked out around 2:30 but the wind continued and it was still chilly. Today I was not running around town I stayed pretty stationary compared to yesterday. I took the tube to the other side of Hyde Park by Round Pond and the Kensington Gardens. There I had lunch and watched a group of kids playing what I assumed to be cricket. Just like yesterday I saw people walking their dogs, joggers, bikers, and children out with their nanny's. I then walked around and admired the park before heading towards Kensington Palace. There is a sunken garden next to the Kensington Palace that is gorgeous. This was a very fun day.

Hyde Park is so big I just had to go back today. This time however I went to the other side of the park. I saw a lot of kids with their uniforms on and were doing relays. A group of older kids not in uniforms were playing cricket which seems to have similar rules to baseball. I decided to have my lunch there again but the weather was not as enjoyable as yesterday luckily I had taken my sweatshirt so I was not to cold.

After I walked around a bit and traveled down The Board Walk which runs right to Kensington Palace. I first had to check out the Kensington Gardens and they were gorgeous. The Sunken Gardens were my favorite with a square pond with floating flowers and two fountains on both ends. This was completely surrounded by flowers and it was an amazing sight. I then walked through the courtyard that had around eight giant hedges four on each side.

Soon I was done seeing the gardens and it was on to the Palace. When I walked up to it it was huge. The building has been around since the 17th century and is now the residence of The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (Glaw-ster), The Duke and Duchess of Kent, The Prince and Princess of Michael of Kent, and is sometimes used by Prince Harry. When you enter the Palace you must pay 12 pounds to go through the tour. You then get an audio tour guide that explains the objects you see. As you walk through the exhibits you feel as though you were back in time. Although some of the items are replicas, there are some objects that are original to the house. If you look up at the ceilings you can see gorgeous paintings that were made for the Kings and Queens living there at the time. There is a section completely devoted to debutantes' and the kind of things they had to do to be a part of society for example dress properly, act very proper, and follow the rules of society.

Tomorrow will be a fun day I will let you know where I am going and the things I will be doing. Keep checking in for more details.

National Gallery, Hyde Park, and the Victoria and Albert Museum

Today I was a little nervous. I traveled by myself around town using the tube. My first destination was the National Gallery. By the time I walked out of the National Gallery it was time for lunch. I then proceeded to Hyde Park for lunch but was only able to see a little bit of it because after I was going to the V&A Museum (aka Victoria and Albert Museum).

This morning I took the tube to Leicester Square then walked maybe ten minutes to get to the National Gallery. It is located in the gorgeous Trafalgar Square, which has statues and a large fountain. The gallery is a large building with stairs leading up to the entrance with huge pillars. The gallery itself is filled with paintings from the 13th century to the 20th century. The paintings are gorgeous and there is a large variety to see. Some of the artists you might recognize include Vincent Van Gogh, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. This place is an amazing place to check out if you are visiting. I would definitely give yourself plenty of time to go to this museum because of its large size it roughly took me two hours to see everything.

After the gallery it was the afternoon and I was getting hungry. So I jumped back on the tube at Leicester Square and headed towards Hyde Park Corner. It took about five minutes to arrive and the park was just across the street. Now there are a lot of parks in London but this park is absolutely huge and since I couldn't spend all day there I chose a portion of it that was close to my next destination. I chose Rotten Road which was ironic because it was not rotten at all. It had many flower beds and trees to sit under. The sun was shining and it was a very warm day and there was a slight breeze that carried the smell of flowers to me. It was very relaxing and a great place to just be. Parents had brought their children there for lunch and people were jogging and kids were playing on the toys. It is definitely different from where I live, here it seems as though everyone has more time to enjoy their lives and their families.

I then walked to the V&A Museum. This was a longer walk because of how large the park was but I eventually made it after about fifteen to twenty minutes. The building was founded in 1852 and holds 4.5 million objects. It gets its name from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. When you walk in they check your bag quickly then you can explore whatever you want. The museum has artifacts from multiple different cultures that date from the beginning of time to today. The V&A has a whole separate room for fashion which shows how the times have changed and so have our outfits. After you see the old clothes you can see the clothes of the future and there are some pretty out-there ideas about where fashion is going. One of the future jackets was made out of thick leather with points on the sholders. It also was accompanied by a hat that had plastic neon orange wings coming out to the side like a plane. There is another room that has stone structures that go all the way up to the ceiling. It was my absolute favorite room. The museum had ancient tombs and sides of buildings it was amazing to see. If you like other cultures and want to see how they lived and evolved definitely come see this place.

I am now back home and just want to relax. Heres a tip if you are planning on being out all day looking at museums and parks wear comfortable shoes and save your feet from falling off.

Arrival

I just arrived in London and I am exhausted and ready to lay down. I definitely suggest that who ever is traveling sleeps as much as possible on the plane. After you arrive however try to stay up so your body can addapt to the time change. It is eight hours difference from the west coast of the US. The first three things that I noticed were the streets were small, the stores are very close together, and the tube (aka the London subway) is crazy.

The streets are alot smaller than where I am from and the side walks are more stones than cement. The streets are closer because the town was built during the time of the Roman Empire. I will read up on this and give you more details about London's history. There are a lot of hills and it is also very strange seeing cars on the left side of the road.

The stores are also very close together along the streets. The buildings are made by bricks and all look very similar. When the town was built they had no machines to do their work so they had to lay the bricks by hand. There were no cars but instead horses and chariots so buildings were convieniently built next to one another.

The tube is new to me. The lines indicating where to go seem like a spider web. I am sure I will get lost at least once but I will some how find my way back. You just have to really pay attention to which tube goes where and when you get off.

It is getting late and I am tired so I'm going to bed. Tomorrow I am going into town so I will update you on what's new. Keep checking in.